KROTZ SPRINGS, L.a. — If you're looking for something fun, free, and family-oriented to do this weekend, you might want to take a trip to the town of Krotz Springs for its annual Sportsmen's Heritage Festival at Nall Park.
After a hiatus since 2019 due to the pandemic, festival planners told KATC they are back to celebrate the culture and heritage of "Sportsman's Paradise" — while also promoting the wetlands and woodlands surrounding the small town that sits in the heart of the Atchafalaya River Basin.
Being a non-profit, the Krotz Springs Sportsmen's Heritage Festival Association says while the event is free admission, 100 percent of the proceeds garnered from food, drinks, rides, and activities like the "Fur, Feathers, or Fins Cook-off" go back to the community.
"It allows us to do a lot of things for our children," said Sabrina Ardoin, fourth-generation Krotz Springs resident and secretary of the festival association. "We give scholarships, we give travel money for clubs from school that are going places because they're in nice little contests and things, and it just allows us some freedom we wouldn't have otherwise — in a small community like this there are not a lot of finances out there, so it really helps us to get some things done."
With the town's population sitting at about 800 according to Census records, Ardoin said an event like this really brings folks back to their roots — whether they're from the area or anywhere else in Acadiana.
"It was a way of life for people who lived here for very many years that's been passed down generation after generation," she said. "And even though now it's more of a fun thing people do, it's still a cultural thing for us in that people go to the camp, they gather together, they cook, they share stories, and it goes way back in time."
Here is a list of what you can expect heading into the weekend:
Friday, June 3
- 5 pm – Fair Grounds Open
- 6 pm – Opening Ceremonies
- 7 pm – Live Music — Nik-L-Beer
- 9:30 pm – Live Music — Don Rich
Saturday, June 4
Fur, Feathers or Fins Cook-Off
- 9 am – Team Registration & Check-in
- 10 am – Bingo under the pavilion
- 11 am – Fair Grounds Open
- 2:30 pm – Cook-Off Judging
- 3 pm – Taster’s Choice (buy a $5 bowl and taste everything, then vote for your favorite dish)
- 4 pm – Cook-Off winners announced & Live Auction begins
- 4:30 pm – Live Music — Alligator Blue
- 9:30 pm – Live Music — Geno Delafouse & French Rockin' Boogie
Sunday, June 5
- 9 am – Queen’s Mass at St. Anthony’s Catholic Church
For more information, you can visit the event's website here.
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